Automatic Unveils New App Gallery and Car Adapter With Real-Time Data Support

Automatic today announced the release of a second-generation Automatic Adapter, which adds dual Bluetooth data streams, built-in GPS, Made for iPhone (MFi) certfication, and an improved connector to its existing feature set.

Like the original Automatic Adapter, the new version plugs into a car's OBD-II port to provide information like distance traveled, gas used, time spent in the car, and more. It's able to provide notifications to advise drivers on when to ease off on the gas and brake pedals to optimize speeds and save gas, and it can deliver information on what's wrong with a car via check engine alerts.

Data collected is aggregated into a weekly driving score, and via Bluetooth, the accompanying app can let you know where your car is parked. A free crash alert service sends assistance whenever a severe collision is detected.

automaticadapter

Along with a new Adapter, Automatic also announced an SDK and an App Gallery, which houses third party apps that are able to take advantage of the data that Automatic supplies. There are more than a dozen apps that already offer Automatic integration, like IFTTT, Nest, Yo, and Pebble.

One of the major features that Automatic's new app integration brings is the ability to see a car's raw performance data in real time (with the new Adapter). Automatic now delivers data to DashCommand, Harry's LapTimer, and OBD Fusion, three apps that can read information from a car's OBD-II port sent from the Automatic.

With Automatic's SDK, additional apps may include data from the Automatic Adapter in the future. The SDK offers access to information like mileage, routes, driving events, real-time speed, RPM, and more.

The Automatic Adapter can be purchased from the Automatic website for $99.95.

Tag: Automatic

Top Rated Comments

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nagromme

62 months ago

Let's say your car is worth $200.

For $100, if Automatic lets you find where you parked your car instead of having to buy a new car, it pays for itself TWO TIMES OVER in a single usage.

Rating: 6 Votes

HarryLaps

62 months ago

For all those considering a US$ 20 adapter a good deal - they are actually knockoffs based on inventions and investments genuine manufacturers have spent.

You will get no support, the same MAC address like thousands of others, and you plug a tool into your car's bus you really can't trust. It is not my party.

Any genuine OBD adapter is around US$ 100. WiFi adapters are a bit faster and work around Apple's Mfi restrictions on Bluetooth. But they are not as convenient as BT in every day use. You need to take care your phone connects to the WiFi you actually want and you need to take care it stays connected all the time (and it will not). So there are pros and cons.

Just my 5 cents. I hope this is not getting another black and white discussion.

- Harry

Rating: 4 Votes

JCrz

62 months ago

What is this? AutomaticRumors?

Rating: 4 Votes

beanbaguk

62 months ago

Not only that, but Automatic has a call center with real people on-hand 24/7 to assist in the event of a crash.

And that's included in the $99 without a subscription. For comparison, OnStar starts at $199 a year (or $20/mo) for the "Protection Package" that only additionally includes roadside assistance. If you have a crash once in five years, you've paid $1000 to OnStar, and mere pennies to Automatic.

They need to make this MUCH clearer! It's features like this that matter to me and I retract my first statement if this is the case.

I wonder however if they support the rest of the world or as per usual with these items, it's US only for the best features.

I'm really not interested in driving economically. My car tells me if I'm doing this already and quite frankly, it's hard to drive economically when you have 240bhp under the hood!

Rating: 3 Votes

Fortimir

62 months ago

For all those considering a US$ 20 adapter a good deal - they are actually knockoffs based on inventions and investments genuine manufacturers have spent.

Not only that, but Automatic has a call center with real people on-hand 24/7 to assist in the event of a crash.

The Automatic adapter detects a crash with a built-in accelerometer and plays a message to let you know it’s about to call for help.

You can cancel the alert if needed. Otherwise, the app will upload the crash details to our emergency call center.

A Crash Alert agent calls your phone to confirm that you need assistance. If you confirm or don’t answer, the agent will request help from emergency services*. They can stay on the line with you until help arrives.

The agent can also call your loved ones to let them know help is on the way. They’ll leave a message if no one answers.

And that's included in the $99 without a subscription. For comparison, OnStar starts at $199 a year (or $20/mo) for the "Protection Package" that only additionally includes roadside assistance. If you have a crash once in five years, you've paid $1000 to OnStar, and mere pennies to Automatic.

Rating: 3 Votes

OldSchoolMacGuy

62 months ago

OR......
Why not go over to new egg and get the $16 wifi model (Google "ELM327 wifi OBD2") that works with iOS then just buy Dash Command for $10.
Spending $100 on something you can get for $15 is insulting to the intelligence of the members of this forum.
Don't be that guy.

I don't believe that the ELM327 works with iOS bluetooth without jailbreaking and installing a full Bluetooth stack.

Rating: 2 Votes

adnbek

62 months ago

You are correct. The ELM 327 works over wifi. Nonetheless, it works.
There is no need to jailbreak the device, just plug and play. The beauty of that setup in the Bluetooth remains free to operate the infotainment center with streaming music and hands free phone use.

Except that dongle doesn't keep records of your trips and driving habits (hard braking, acceleration etc.) with gps so can only be used for diagnostics (ie. raw data). Since it also uses the phone's gps, in the app or on the website, I can see all the trips I've made on an map showing exactly where I drove too fast or where I've been too hard on the brakes or gas. Pretty useful in improving my mileage or at least visualizing how I'm driving, for good or bad. :rolleyes:

And despite using Bluetooth, I've never had a problem with using the hands free mode in my car for music, gps and calls at the same time while still connected to the adapter. Bluetooth can pair with both and one doesn't seem to interfere with the other from my experience.

Rating: 1 Votes

elmateo487

62 months ago

All the haters in this thread. Lol.

Anyways. I wonder.. With this sdk and now that the device has a gps. If someone could build an app that can real time calculate accurate mpg for any car, even if the car does not have that feature. Take the fuel consumption, and distance traveled and calculate it for the driver. Lots of gps devices do this is an fake way. And are horrendously inaccurate. But if you could bring accurate mpg to my old junky jeep Cherokee, with massive tires, regeared axles, a huge inefficient lift and a speedometer that is way off. That would be invaluable.

Rating: 1 Votes

beanbaguk

62 months ago

As others have mentioned, automatic are simply adding a fluffy user interface to a product that can be purchased for about $10 from eBay which is a complete farce.

I was originally interested in this product until I educated myself on the topic and found out about the ELM327 Bluetooth and Wifi adapter.

The wifi version is much more reliable and equally cheap. As already mentioned, google for "obd2 elm327".

Additionally, if you're daft enough to lose your car to need the "find my car feature", you have bigger issues to deal with first! Added to that, there are plenty of free "find my car" apps out there.

If this sold for $30, I could see the value, but $100 is a massive rip-off.

Rating: 1 Votes

Toubro

62 months ago

Indeed, nice to see. However with a $50 shipping charge, and import VAT paid in the UK it makes it an expensive toy. They also offer very little international support, they practically only replace a faulty device and thats it. So thats an expensive $149 device with no support and no guarantee it works.

I totally agree. I've been waiting for this since I saw the original model in an Apple store in the US long ago, but paying 50$ for shipping, and then hoping for it to work?? I think that's incredibly arrogant, to "allow" the beta testers to try it out and if it doesn't work they just don't care, instead of using them to give feedback and then improve the product. I guess I'll have to wait.

Rating: 1 Votes

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